Could Hunter be on the Ducks' radar?

The good thing about the Internet is that news can travel at a blinding speed on the information superhighway. The bad thing is that a false rumor can travel just as fast.

Trent Hunter's apparent signing with the Ducks on Friday was just that -- a false rumor that only took flight due to a computer glitch in which a Google search of "trent hunter anaheim ducks" revealed a Ducks' player page with Hunter's mugshot and career statistics listed.

No media outlet had reported the "news" but that didn't stop the blogosphere from churning out word of the winger's apparent done deal before the real news of the glitch started to get out this past weekend. The fact is Hunter, an unrestricted free agent after being bought out by New Jersey, has not signed with any NHL team.

Now could the Ducks be interested in a player they once drafted back in 1998? Possibly.

When asked if the club has made any overtures to the veteran was looking to sign the longtime New York Islanders forward, Hunter's agent, Brad Devine, said, "Trent has had a number of teams showing interest. At this time, he has not made a decision on where he is going to play next year."

There is a lot to read between those two sentences. Devine doesn't address specifically whether the Ducks are among those teams interested but his statement also didn't rule that out. Also, the teams he speaks of could also include those overseas in addition to any from the NHL.

Hunter, 31, is a question mark as his 2010-11 season was wrecked by a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee suffered during a Nov. 24 game against Columbus and had season-ending surgery to repair it in February. Ironically, it was a contest in which he had an assist and his only goal in.

The native of Red Deer, Alberta, has scored as many as 25 goals and 51 points but both of those totals came back in 2003-04. Hunter's numbers have steadily fallen since then and in 2009-10, he had just 11 goals and 28 points in 61 games.

At this point, Hunter is most likely a third-line winger that will throw his 6-foot-3, 211-pound frame around and chip in the occasional goal but shouldn't be counted on for a great deal of offense. It is not known just how much the Ducks or others have their eye on him but you figure that he's looking for a one-way NHL deal.

Who knows if that one-way deal is out there right now? We're guessing that Hunter would come relatively cheap as he's already getting nearly $667,000 from the Devils in a buyout that was strictly to create some cap space. He made $2 million last season with the Islanders.

The Ducks still have unproven entities on the right side behind Corey Perry and Teemu Selanne and their need for a productive winger would exponentially increase if Selanne decides that his problematic left knee can't hold up for another 82-game season. Hunter obviously wouldn't be a replacement but he could be a fit in either case.

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